HARTFORD, Conn. – Their stalls at the XL Center are not particularly close, located on different sides of the Connecticut Whale's dressing room. But former Ranger teammates Sean Avery and Wade Redden are linked otherwise, two veteran players with little to no hope of returning to the NHL under their current contracts, stashed in the minor leagues because of salary-cap and/or performance concerns.

And it's quite likely the mechanism keeping them in the American Hockey League — re-entry waivers – will be on the table when the NHL and its players association begin working toward a new collective bargaining agreement to replace the one that expires after this season.

"I am sure it will be one of the many topics that will be discussed," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly wrote in an e-mail to The Record.

"I think it's important to get that rule out of there," added Redden, 34, starting his second season with Connecticut and in the fourth season of a six-year, $39 million deal. "Obviously, I'm not excited, not thrilled about being down here. But, obviously, it's the way it is."

Under the current CBA, finally agreed to after the 2004-05 season was lost to a lockout, any veteran subject to waivers before being assigned to the minors, must clear re-entry waivers before being recalled. If that player is claimed by another team, the two teams split the player's salary cap hit.

But Avery — who rejoined the Rangers via re-entry waivers on March 3, 2009 following a stormy, 23-game stint with the Stars after the agitator left the Rangers for a four-year, $15.5 million deal – is not opposed to teams being able to delete large contracts by sending players to the AHL.

"I think that's a consequence when they sign contracts, and it depends what team you sign with, some owners are willing to spend money to make their team better whether it's to spend money to get rid of a guy or spend that money to sign a guy," Avery, 31, added. "That's the sacrifice you make. You feel sorry for anybody making $5 million? Rip up your deal. If you want to play in the NHL that bad, rip your contract up."

So far, nobody has walked away from the money.

Defenseman Sheldon Souray, now with the Stars, is a rare example of a player resurrecting his NHL career.

The former Devil and Canadien had a rocky relationship with Edmonton management after signing a five-year, $27 million deal prior to the 2007-08 season and wound up loaned to Hershey (AHL) for 2010-11. The Oilers finally bought him out, and he signed a one-year, $1.65 million deal with Dallas.

"NHL veterans being 'buried' in the minors is another example of the drawbacks/limitations of a salary-cap system," said an NHL source, adding the "best players" should be in the NHL.

During negotiations for the last CBA, the NHLPA would not agree to counting the salaries of veterans sent to the minors against the salary cap.

"I don't know if they're going to eliminate that because teams make mistakes when they sign players," an NHL agent said. "That's in place because of the salary cap."

In Redden's case, the Rangers wouldn't risk having half of his $6.5 salary count as dead space against their salary cap nor would any other NHL team likely claim him for that money based on his two underwhelming seasons with the Rangers.

The big-market Rangers are just lucky they can stash the two big contracts – Avery would count $1.94 million against their cap – in the AHL, a luxury smaller-market teams literally can't afford.

HARTFORD, Conn. – Their stalls at the XL Center are not particularly close, located on different sides of the Connecticut Whale's dressing room. But former Ranger teammates Sean Avery and Wade Redden are linked otherwise, two veteran players with little to no hope of returning to the NHL under their current contracts, stashed in the minor leagues because of salary-cap and/or performance concerns.

And it's quite likely the mechanism keeping them in the American Hockey League — re-entry waivers – will be on the table when the NHL and its players association begin working toward a new collective bargaining agreement to replace the one that expires after this season.

"I am sure it will be one of the many topics that will be discussed," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly wrote in an e-mail to The Record.

"I think it's important to get that rule out of there," added Redden, 34, starting his second season with Connecticut and in the fourth season of a six-year, $39 million deal. "Obviously, I'm not excited, not thrilled about being down here. But, obviously, it's the way it is."

Under the current CBA, finally agreed to after the 2004-05 season was lost to a lockout, any veteran subject to waivers before being assigned to the minors, must clear re-entry waivers before being recalled. If that player is claimed by another team, the two teams split the player's salary cap hit.

But Avery — who rejoined the Rangers via re-entry waivers on March 3, 2009 following a stormy, 23-game stint with the Stars after the agitator left the Rangers for a four-year, $15.5 million deal – is not opposed to teams being able to delete large contracts by sending players to the AHL.

"I think that's a consequence when they sign contracts, and it depends what team you sign with, some owners are willing to spend money to make their team better whether it's to spend money to get rid of a guy or spend that money to sign a guy," Avery, 31, added. "That's the sacrifice you make. You feel sorry for anybody making $5 million? Rip up your deal. If you want to play in the NHL that bad, rip your contract up."

So far, nobody has walked away from the money.

Defenseman Sheldon Souray, now with the Stars, is a rare example of a player resurrecting his NHL career.

The former Devil and Canadien had a rocky relationship with Edmonton management after signing a five-year, $27 million deal prior to the 2007-08 season and wound up loaned to Hershey (AHL) for 2010-11. The Oilers finally bought him out, and he signed a one-year, $1.65 million deal with Dallas.

"NHL veterans being 'buried' in the minors is another example of the drawbacks/limitations of a salary-cap system," said an NHL source, adding the "best players" should be in the NHL.

During negotiations for the last CBA, the NHLPA would not agree to counting the salaries of veterans sent to the minors against the salary cap.

"I don't know if they're going to eliminate that because teams make mistakes when they sign players," an NHL agent said. "That's in place because of the salary cap."

In Redden's case, the Rangers wouldn't risk having half of his $6.5 salary count as dead space against their salary cap nor would any other NHL team likely claim him for that money based on his two underwhelming seasons with the Rangers.

The big-market Rangers are just lucky they can stash the two big contracts – Avery would count $1.94 million against their cap – in the AHL, a luxury smaller-market teams literally can't afford.